Ikea Mocks Balenciaga for Making a $2,145 Version of Its Famous Blue Bag

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Identical blue, same size, same shape, from recycled plastic at 99 cents to fine leather at $2,145, Balenciaga designers must big fans of Ikea because their new fancy leather tote is the exact copy of the iconic FRAKTA shopping bag. The Swedish creative agency Acne crafted a cheeky response ad so its customers can rest assured they’ve bought the real deal. See below how they’re comically explaining to readers how to tell the difference between Balenciaga’s bag and Ikea’s. LOL!

This was too much comedy for Ikea to process silently. In Sweden, at the urging of its agency partner Acne, Ikea (via in-house shop Ikea Creative Shop) whipped up a print ad and a social post
The print ad reads:

Balenciaga has yet to confirm its bag was an Ikea tribute, though it’s hard to believe it wasn’t. Johan Holmgren, creative director at Acne, tells AdFreak that Balenciaga’s move “unexpected and brilliant. I liked the flirt. And I thought, why not flirt back? And we did.”

Meanwhile, a rep for Ikea told Today: “We are deeply flattered that the Balenciaga tote bag resembles the Ikea iconic sustainable blue bag for 99 cents. Nothing beats the versatility of a great big blue bag!”